i think in this one there is finally a answer to the big mysterie about who god is,its who you see him if that is god or allah or mother earth,evryone has his own believe but there are al one,no believe is the ultimate greatest one because its al about the same power only with another name or rituals.
therefor you have to respect every ones believes.
(for some reason the subject god is coming on my path the last couple of years in places you wouldnt suspectit i have a little feeling there is a call,maybe i should finally try to answer that call)

yes the world is hard and unfair but on the other end its so great to be a life and there is also so much beauty.
and if you want and try and believe there is so much possible.

thanks again for this beautiful poem and discussion especially since there is so much losses currently among members of the zone,its good to remember the beauti of live,thanks ladies.
greetings,'
es

We don't know if Johnny is religious. He said he does believe in something, but is not sure what to call it.

That is what I read in this stanza: it's good to believe in something that gives you comfort and helps you being a better person. It does not matter what to call it. The word God can be replaced in this poem by : destiny, Buddha, mankind, nature, Neverland, for instance. To me personally it could be coincidence, or even: Johnny.I don't mean to be disrespectful, and I realize Johnny absolutely does not want to be seen as a kind of god, but you cannot deny we dò worship him, in a way, in a positive way. He is a good spirit (inspiritional he is, isn't it Chocolat ?! ), makes us love him and care for eachother. We love the ones he love. I cannot think of anything bad he could do to us. He has such good influence on so many people, as KYWoman described so beautifully in her post on the 6th Stanza. I do believe he makes this place a little bit better.

Oh yes, it's still a beautiful world, let's be cheerful !

I'm sorry I could not contribute more to this beautiful topic, but I have read all posts with much pleasure. I enjoyed reading Desiderata and all your points of view and the wonderful way so many of you can put it into words. Thank you Liz and Dithot, this was a very good idea !

Those are both beatiful thoughts, es and AnaMaria, thanks. I like these last parts, they seem like a very fitting close to the poem. Again, I find them very peaceful. I think the first part, about being at peace with God, "whatever you concieve him to be" is important, because it's part of that all-encompassing, connectedness that I felt with the sixth stanza. I think he included that to try and reach out to anyone - it's like letting them know that these words can be used in any way, by any type of religious person. I think Ehrmann was very wise in the ways he has stated the entire poem, and he spoke a universal message, that can include anyone, and anyone can take it and use it for their life, no matter what religion they follow. That is what is important to me. That also may account for why Johnny is so interested in it. Like AnaMaria said, he has never said specifically that there is one God or religion that he believes in, but I like to think there is a mix of several in his heart. Simply by looking at who he admires and looks up to, I would say that Kerouac's Buddhist influence could be at least one part of it, and he has said that he might believe in some sort of kismet, karma about things sometimes. I would never try to presume what his personal beliefs are though, don't get me wrong.

Like Liz mentioned earlier, just by looking at the poem's history, you can see that many different people have taken it to their hearts and loved it and lived by it over the years. I'm just thankful that Johnny has, as well -- and that now many of us have.

These have indeed been very inspirational and touching discussions, especially with all the troubles that seem to be touching people in our community lately. Thank you, sincerely, DITHOT, Liz, and everyone who has contributed to these threads because it has really brought some great words of wisdom into my life, and brought me in touch with some really interesting, insightful, and admirable people. I'm more glad for those who are going through harder times now, that they may be able to read this poem, look at these discussions, and see hope, see love, and most importantly, see peace.

This definitely strikes a chord with me. One of my expressions is, In the silence of my soul... when I am doing my soul-searching and accounting for myself. I do think it is vital to do that.
And it is still a beautiful world.
Thanks for posting this. One to treasure.

"Luck... inspiration... both only really happen to you when you empty your heart of ambition, purpose, and plan; when you give yourself, completely, to the golden, fate-filled moment."

You all have said everything I wanted to say and said it much better than I would have! This whole week has been very inspiring and touching. It is indeed a beautiful world!

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming -
Wow! What a ride!

thank you Liz and all the zoners contributing so much for this discussion on Desiderata
i havent had much time to spend in the zone lately, caught up with work blah blah blah
but its been great to read this thread,
reminding me of what is important in life

i remember in the 70s when Desiderata came out as a kind of a spoken song on the radio
it caught my attention then and i sort of forgot about it until i caught this thread

i havent got much to add at all to this for everyone has said it, i guess God is called by many names but is the same for all

i remember when i had my daughter years ago, i was on my own and the midwife came to visit me and my baby
and said its a tough world, but its also a very beautiful world too

i think that these threads remind us of that beauty
we all need that in our lives so thank you again for bringing some of that beauty in these writings

"One time he, (Marlon Brando), says to me: 'How many films do you do a year?' I said, 'I dunno. Two or three.' He says, 'You've got to watch yourself. We've only got so many faces in our pocket.' "

Keep peace with your soul-if you can't do that then maybe the world does become overwhelming.But there is always hope-hope for oneself,hope for others ,hope for the world. ...Let me add my thanks to Liz and DITHOT and to all the contributors.You're an amazing bunch.